Christmas letter to child sponsors
13/11/2007
November, 2007
Dear friends,
On the auspicious and festive days of Christmas and Happy New Year, we remember with gratitude for your utmost help and support towards fulfilling our mission for the helpless and homeless children in Bangladesh.
During last 25 years, 86 boys and 75 girls have been successfully integrated into the society through employment and marriage. Besides, 5 youngsters are on the process of settlement and 19 youngsters are in the final stage of technical and higher education. At present 83 boys and 84 girls live in 16 family houses and 50 young adults live in SOS Youth Facilities. One of our boys has gone to Malaysia to study MBA, 1 girl successfully passed graduation securing good marks and 3 girls have passed School final examination with satisfactory result.
Awareness programmes on HIV/AIDs, Healthy Living Habits, Child rights were organized. Different National and International Days were celebrated with due arrangements.
Our one of our sponsored boys has justr become a Marine Engineer, employed in a reputed shipping company at Singapore. He arrived at SOS Children’s Village Khulna at the age of 6 years with a very miserable condition - father died of brain-hemorrhage, mother died of blood-cancer. When he grew older he dreamt to become an Engineer. He passed B.Sc. Engineering in 2004 and secured first division. In the same year he got offer from PPL Shipyard Ltd Singapore to join as Safety Promoter and this year he has got promotion to Assistant Engineer (Safety).
The total enrollment of SOS School: 398 students out of which 303 from neighbouring community and 95 from SOS Children’s Village. This year 23 students came out successful in Secondary School Certificate examination. Two of our boys and one girl have got Scholarship this year.
Family Strengthening Programme (FSP) of SOS Social Centre Khulna has become a core community development programme with a view to empowering socially and economically disadvantaged families. Presently 228 extremely poverty stricken families having 301 children are getting benefit under this programme. The beneficiary families are being provided with educational and essential food subsistence support; adult family members are being comprehensively helped to be skilled hands to lead themselves on their own and live meaningfully into the society.
An agro-based study camp with active participation of youths from all SOS Children’s Villages in Bangladesh was organized in SOS Youth Village Farm Project, Bagerhat. Our boys took part and got the opportunity of learning practical experience on outdoor living, sense of self-service system and realizing the dignity of manual labour.
Afresh, we must declare with gratefulness that our achievements made possible through your contributions. May The Christmas season be a time of joy and happiness and The New Year is a time of Peace, Happiness and Prosperity.
Yours sincerely
Village Director
Relevant Countries: Bangladesh.